I'm moving out of a flat I've been renting for just over a year, and since it's my first flat in Switzerland, I'm not sure what to expect. The thing is, when I moved in, there was no representative from the administration present during the key handover. And this is what one of the outside balconies looked like. Well, most of the balconies in our apartment building look like that. Our caretaker said that there was not much we could do, as a pressure washer I wanted to borrow from a friend would make the dirt fly onto other people's balconies and windows, since our balcony is at the very top. So I scrubbed it a little with a brush during the rain, collected the dirt with rags in buckets of water, and flushed it down the toilet. Now it looks a little better than in the photo. But since then, our administration has changed, and now a representative wants to come to the key handover, and after hearing other people's crazy stories about how the owners or administration nitpicked everything and asked why, for example, the cupboard in the kitchen smelled of spices (wth, how else should it smell if it's a spice cupboard? 😅), I'm a little afraid of what they might say about this balcony. Unfortunately, I am currently receiving social assistance and cannot afford to hire a professional cleaning service, so I clean everything myself. Any thoughts, experiences, or cleaning advice in this case are much appreciated. 🙏

by Background-War7518

7 comments

  1. As far as I know you have to clean it with a Broom (besenrein) and scrub it down once – you dont need to clean away all the black weathering.

    To play it save I would send the picture to the landlord and ask how to deal with weathering. Than at least the expectations are clear. (and you can ask again if the expectations are in the legal limits) 🙂

  2. None of the companies I rented a flat from gave a single fuck about the balcony, and most were much newer building than this one. Use a broom when the balcony is dry and leave it a that, that’s what I’d do. Contact the local antenna of the renter’s association for advice to be sure.

    Contactiing the landlord in advance opens the door for them to ask something that you are not required to do.

  5. Maybe chlorine helps to get the dirt out. Mix with water and spray on the surface, it should help a lot.

  6. No pictures from when you entered? And did you mention it in writing?
    If yes, they cannot ask anything more than a simple cleaning.

Comments are closed.